Won't you dance with me
by riga789
Summary: Asking Maya to the school dance should not be this difficult.
1. Chapter 1

**This was originally supposed to go up as a oneshot, but it got too long. So, here's my first multi-chapter fic — apologies for the varying lengths of the chapters.**

 **Thank you for reading, and please be gentle if you review!**

 **Set in the same timeline as, and a sequel to, my earlier fic Sanctuary.**

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 _*Set in spring, sophomore year of high school_

It's ten days away, and Lucas still hasn't asked Maya to be his date for the spring school dance.

It's not that he hasn't tried. He worked his courage up a full three times — once when he and Maya were studying together in the library, once when they arrived earlier than their friends at Topanga's, and once during chemistry (when he really shouldn't have been getting distracted, because they were handling some rather concentrated chemicals). He'd even opened his mouth to say the words. Only to be interrupted. By Farkle.

Lucas doesn't even have to wonder anymore if the interruptions are on purpose. No one — least of all Farkle — develops a sudden, all-consuming need to discuss in depth the lives of renaissance painters (in the library), or to barge in to debate the merits of mango and passionfruit smoothie vs. peach and vanilla (at Topanga's), though hijacking Lucas and Maya's experiment in chemistry in order to show them how to correctly perform a titration is a very Farkle thing to do. It's almost as if he has some sort of inbuilt radar or tracking device whenever Maya and Lucas are close — which, considering Farkle, is probably exactly the case — and it makes Lucas want to go kick something.

Suffice to say the genius has been temporarily demoted as his best friend.

Worse, Charlie Gardner is being a pest. If Lucas thought he was mildly annoying back in middle school, he's infinitely more irritating now. He and Maya have been paired together for their English assignment — which is unfair because Lucas _always_ pairs up with Maya for English (and every other assignment he can) — and it's downright annoying to see her with Charlie at the small table tucked away in a corner of Topanga's. He can't hear what they're saying from his seat at the group's usual table. But he can see how close they're sitting, and he grits his teeth when Charlie leans close to Maya as she points out something in the textbook open on the table between them.

It's not just Charlie who worries him. Maya is one of the most popular people in their school, and is on good terms with many of the upperclassmen. One of them is bound to ask her if Lucas doesn't do it soon.

But after seeing the kind of dance asks that his fellow students are coming up with, he wants to do more than just go: "Hey Maya, want to go to the dance with me? Great! I'll pick you up at six!" — he does that sort of thing often enough whenever they make plans to hang out.

He doesn't want to do anything big, loud, and obvious — lockers bursting with balloons and exploding confetti might be right up Riley's alley, but that's neither Maya's nor his cup of tea. He prefers something more low-key, where the sentiment is more important than the extravagance of the gesture. And he knows Maya shares his opinion.

But he also wants to do something fun, like his and Maya's game. Something that will make her laugh, that will make her gorgeous blue eyes light up... (Which is why he isn't too upset that his previous pathetic attempts didn't work out. He's still annoyed with Farkle, though, for disrupting the few opportunities he gets to spend time alone with Maya.)

Lucas also still hasn't figured out for sure if Maya returns his feelings, though he could've sworn their interactions have become a bit more flirty lately. But considering the number of little moments they've been having — especially since they almost kissed when she came over to his house a few months ago — he's optimistic. If Maya liked him only as a friend, surely she would have found a way by now to let him know without hurting or embarrassing him.

So, he is reasonably sure that she won't refuse to go with him to the dance, even if it is just as friends for now. There's nothing stopping him from asking her. Except the lack of a witty dance ask. (And Farkle.)

He has to come up with an idea, and soon. Maybe he can make it something about a square dance or a hoedown or do-si-doin'...


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the lovely reviews!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

It's one week before the dance, and Lucas is finally ready to ask Maya. He gets to school early, deciding to talk to her as soon as she arrives, and heads to her locker, which is only a little way down from his.

He made a detour that morning on his way to school to get her a taco from Paco's Tacos, knowing she'll find it hilarious if he gave it to her instead of flowers. But the main part of his ask is the sheet of sketchbook paper currently safe inside his history textbook. He has spent the last two days slaving over his masterpiece (Maya would reproduce it in less than a minute, and make fantastic art out of it too), with which he plans to ask Maya to be his date to the dance.

He's sure she's going to laugh — with a taco instead of flowers and his pitiful attempt at drawing something, how could she not? (If she doesn't, his ask is going to fall flat in its face. Not that it matters now. He's desperate, and completely out of options and time if he doesn't ask her today.)

He opens her locker (they know each other's lock combinations), and digs inside his bag for his history book. Just as he's placing the sheet inside the first book of the pile in her locker, he hears Maya's voice coming around the corridor. He quickly shuts the locker and hurries around the corner, from where he can observe her reaction when she finds his ask. Then all he has to do is pop out, offer her the taco, and repeat what he's written on the paper. Perfect. Simple yet ingenious. He wants to pat himself on the back.

But as Maya turns into the corridor, Lucas sees that she is with Charlie, and they seem to be in deep conversation. What the hell is he doing here this early? And with Maya? Lucas wants to go up to her, but something about the way they're standing makes him hesitate to approach them. So he stays hidden where he is, and watches and listens.

"So, what do you think?" He hears Charlie ask Maya as they continue their conversation.

Maya opens her locker and places a couple of books inside. She smirks at Charlie. "What, no balloons, no flowers, no banner, no Yogi on skates?"

Charlie smiles sheepishly and ducks his head. His face has gone red. "I was a bit over the top back in middle school, wasn't I?" he asks, obviously embarrassed.

"You were just the right amount of over the top for Riley," Maya assures him. "But you could have been a real live _actual_ prince with an actual crown and an actual castle, and she still wouldn't have gone with you to the semi-formal. Lucas was pretty much her entire universe back then."

Lucas grimaces.

"That's true," Charlie says ruefully. "I really liked Riley. But more than that, I really wanted to impress her and everyone else with my dance ask. I didn't even think that Yogi could get hurt. But I've learnt my lesson, Maya." He steps closer, gazing into her eyes, his face nervous and earnest. His hand hovers over hers, as if he wants to reach out and take it, but he rests it against her locker instead. "I care more about the girl this time, and I want her to know that she's amazing, and that I like her very much, and that I really want her to go with me to the school dance."

Maya stares at him for a long moment, an unreadable expression on her face.

Lucas holds his breath. "Say no," he mutters. " _Say no_." But—

"Yes," Maya says finally. "That works."

"Yesss!" Charlie pumps his fist in the air. "Thanks, Maya!" He pulls Maya into a tight hug before letting go. "I'll see you later okay?"

He takes off down the corridor, leaving Maya staring after him, a smile on her face.

Lucas turns away and slumps against the wall. He feels sick, and his heart feels like it has dropped all the way down to his feet. The disappointment is a dead weight in his stomach. He's too late, he's lost his chance. Maya is going to the school dance with someone else. She's going with _Charlie Gardner_. Charlie Gardner with his stupid nice words, and his stupid heartfelt ask, which makes Lucas's dance ask now look pathetic. He wants to kick something.

He straightens, fresh panic shooting up his spine. He's going to have to retrieve his silly sheet of paper with his dance ask from Maya's locker. There's _no way_ he can let her see it now. She'll pity him, and try to be nice to him to make him feel better. And he hates it when Maya's nice to him—

Okay, no, scratch that. _Of course_ he doesn't hate it when Maya's nice to him (in fact, he damn near melts whenever she smiles at him sweetly, something she's been doing a lot more often in the past couple of months). But the teasing and bantering and making fun of him is something she does only with him. It's their game — just theirs, no one else's. It makes him feel special, makes him hope that he and Maya have a connection, a bond that she doesn't share with anyone else...

Lucas shakes his head to get rid of such distracting thoughts. Regardless of what he and Maya are, what is certain at this moment is that she's not going to the dance with him. He has to focus on what he has to do. He has to get his dance ask back.

He waits until Maya leaves before hurrying up to her locker just as the first bell rings. But when he opens it, he can't remember what book he slid the paper into, and he swears. He doesn't have much time before the second bells rings too, so he frantically riffles through all the books in the locker. But his dance ask isn't there. He probably put it in one of the books that Maya took with her.

Bloody hell.

...


	3. Chapter 3

**To everyone who has reviewed: thank you so much!**

 **Hi Jess and RocksRain3 (and anyone else reading this story who has wondered), the moments between Lucas and Maya mentioned in this fic are from its prequel, Sanctuary. I recommend that you read that story for some background on how and why Lucas and Maya are so close now.**

 **Also, this fic is set in spring, sophomore year of high school — thank you, Jess, for bringing to my attention that I'd forgotten to mention that in the first chapter! I've corrected that now :)**

 **Thank you for reading, and as always, please be gentle if you review!**

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The rest of Lucas's day goes in a haze. He puts on his most studious expression to make it seem as if he's assiduously paying attention in class. But not a single one of his lessons registers. Instead, his mind is busy trying to figure out the best way to search through all of Maya's textbooks and notebooks for that sheet of paper. It has to be in one of them, he reasons. He put it there himself. And he _needs_ to get it back.

He wonders if he can get hold of Maya's bag. But that's easier said than done. She's not the kind who'll leave it lying around, not when she carries some of her expensive and treasured personal art supplies in there. Neither can he get to it during class. She doesn't sit directly in front of him anymore, instead occupying the place in the row next to his, one seat ahead. (Not that he could've just fished around in her bag during class anyway). He's going to have to sneak around and search through it when Maya's not around...

The only good thing about worrying about retrieving his now useless dance ask is that it's keeping Lucas's mind off the fact that Maya's going with someone else. If he lets himself think about that, he's going to become a pathetic mess, and that's the last thing he wants.

If the teachers notice that one of their star pupils is quieter than usual, they mercifully don't ask him questions. But it's harder to pretend as if nothing is wrong around his friends, no matter how much Lucas tries to appear normal. He knows they've noticed his odd behaviour — he shares all his classes except one with Maya and Zay, and a lesser number with Farkle, Smackle, and Riley, so they're around long enough to notice that he's not himself.

Maya especially keeps shooting him looks of concern. By lunch, she knows something is bothering him. When she asks him about it — a quick nudge in his side with her elbow, followed by a quiet "What's the burr under your saddle, Sundance?", cowboy humour that for the first time fails to make him smile — Lucas tries to assure her that he's fine, that he's not upset. But he obviously doesn't do a good job of it, because although she doesn't ask him again, she tries to cheer him up by getting him extra of his favourite dessert, and insists on splitting the taco he got for her with him — something she rarely does with anyone else.

She also orders Riley to quit pestering him, reminding her that he'll tell them about what's bothering him if and when he wants to. Lucas is beyond thankful for this because he's never going to tell them why he's upset, and he's _this_ close to snapping at Riley about it. He doesn't want anything to spoil Maya's happiness today — she got asked to the dance by a boy she likes, and Lucas wants her to be happy.

He's miserable, though, because he really thought he and Maya would go to the dance together. But he has no one except himself to blame for the fact that they're not.

And he still has to retrieve that stupid sheet of paper.

...

Lucas's luck runs out in last period physics. It's the only class he doesn't share with any of his friends, so he drops his nonchalant act and allows himself to wallow in his misery. But he gets called out for not paying attention, which earns him a detention after school.

After class ends, he doesn't hurry like he does everyday to meet up with Maya at the lockers before they split off for their respective after-school activities (art for her, sports practice for him). For once, he's thankful he has detention; it means he can avoid everyone just a little longer. It's been one of the shittiest days he can remember.

He's the last one to leave the classroom, but he runs into someone just outside the door. "Oh, hey, Brenda."

Brenda is still back-of-the-class Brenda, but she's changed quite a bit since Lucas first met her in seventh grade. She's outgrown her awkward middle school phase, and like everyone in high school, is trying to find her own sense of fashion. Her style of dressing has changed, her hair's been cut more stylishly, and she now sports a pair of fashionably smart glasses.

She's still smarter than almost everyone in school, with the exception of Farkle and Smackle; she's their only real competition in academics. In fact, she strongly reminds Lucas of Smackle, just with her own brand of awkwardness, and minus Smackle's over-the-top flirting.

Lucas knows Zay used to have a bit of a crush on Brenda, and that he'd had taken her to the freshman year school dance. He figures geek chic (or as Maya puts it: hot gopher-chipmunk) is Zay's type, considering that he flirted with their studious classmate Sarah back in eighth grade, and the amount of time he's been spending with Smackle lately.

"Are you okay, Lucas?" Brenda asks, breaking up his wandering thoughts. That's another thing about her: she's unfailingly kind.

"I'm fine," he tells her, genuinely appreciating her concern.

"I noticed you weren't really paying attention in class today, and I figured something must be bothering you."

"It's nothing," Lucas insists, then sighs. "It's just... The girl I wanted to ask to the dance— she's going with someone else."

"Oh."

Brenda sounds surprised, as if she doesn't think someone like him can go through unrequited love — _scratch that_ — feelings.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't have anyone to go with to the dance yet either," she tells him. "I thought someone was going to ask me, but they haven't yet. I don't think they will."

She says it matter-of-factly, but Lucas can sense that's she's not as unaffected as she appears.

"I'm sorry," he says sincerely, before an idea strikes him. "Hey, would you like to go with me?"

"No, thanks." Brenda frowns at him. "I don't want to be your pity date."

Lucas rolls his eyes. "It's not a pity date. If anything, I'm asking you to take pity on me and go with me. As friends," he adds to assure her.

She eyes him doubtfully, but finally relents. "Fine, I'll go with you. As friends."

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome."

They shake hands on it, before heading their own ways, Lucas feeling marginally less pathetic.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for all your lovely comments!**

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It's three days before the school dance, and the entire student body of Abigail Adams High has turned into a flock of panicked, headless chickens over who's asked who to the big event.

The obsession with grand asks is even more ridiculous this year. For a whole week now, every time Maya has been in the corridors between classes, balloons have popped out of every second locker, confetti rained from the ceilings, people who can't carry a tune to save their lives have caterwauled for their prospective dates, and Yogi (on skates) has helped at least a dozen people ask someone out. And with the school resembling some kind of bizarre garden with all the flowers being exchanged, Maya is sure florists across New York are making a fortune.

She's thoroughly sick of it. Never has she loathed a school event more. That's why this year, she's not going to the dance.

She's not sure if the others are all planning to go, or if they have dates. (Or if she does know, she doesn't care. They can go with whoever they want.) For once, her group of friends has acted sane and not been obsessed about the dance, because hardly anyone has brought it up. And if they did, they barely discussed it for a couple of minutes before changing the subject to more important things, like what movie to watch at their weekly movie night (which is on Saturday, the day after the dance), and what snacks to bring.

She's not going to the dance because she has more important things to do, she assures herself, and _not_ because she heard through the grapevine that _someone_ had asked another girl to go with him right when _she_ had been about to ask him. Nope, that's definitely not the reason.

Maybe if she tells herself that enough, she'll believe it.

She sighs.

Maya is okay not rushing into things. She figured Lucas was being as cautious as her about not letting anything hurt their friendship, which is why he hadn't asked her to the dance (and which is why she'd come to the conclusion that she needed to ask him, even if she had absolutely no plan as to how to go about it), or tried to kiss her again, the way he'd nearly done when she'd ended up at his house a few months ago. But they've definitely been more flirty with each other lately, which is why she'd thought—

No, she'd done more than just thought, she realizes. She'd _expected_. She'd _assumed_. She'd all but taken it as given that she and Lucas would go together to the dance. Which was stupid of her. After all, who knew better than her that hope is for suckers? She can't believe she's fallen into that trap again, especially after learning her lesson in the not-so-distant past.

Okay, maybe hope isn't entirely for suckers, she allows, thinking of the way Shawn had come into her and Katy's lives. He'd married her mom and become Maya's father. They are a family, the way Maya has always wanted.

But maybe hope only got you one thing, maybe it didn't work if you get greedy and hope for too many things.

Or maybe she's wrong. Maybe she's made a mistake and completely misinterpreted Lucas's feelings for her once again. Maybe she's wrong about thinking that she's the reason his eyes light up, maybe she imagined that his hands lingered when they brushed against hers, maybe he's only doing nice things for her because she's his friend. Just his friend, nothing more.

Which means it's her own fault for expecting more, and getting hurt again, she thinks, irritated at herself.

She starts when Shawn's voice cuts through her thoughts and brings her back to the dinner table.

"I spoke to Cory today," Shawn says, cutting a piece of chicken on his plate.

"You speak to your boyfriend everyday." The response is almost automatic, but it distracts Maya from her preoccupation with Lucas. She pushes the food around on her plate, rearranging it to make it look as if she's eaten some of it, when in reality, she's barely taken a couple of bites.

"You're hilarious." Shawn deadpans. (He's always been able to take Maya's teasing more easily than Cory, who'd have taken the bait and responded just as she'd expect, with a shrill " _Shawn's not my boyfriend!_ ".) "Anyway. Cory says Riley's pretty excited about the school dance."

Katy swallows a gulp of her juice and widens her eyes as she looks from Shawn to Maya. "Oh, she is? That's so sweet."

 _Oh no_ , Maya internally groans. Her parents weren't supposed to find out about it.

"Yeah," Shawn says, "Cory was a bit worried because Riley didn't seem very enthusiastic at first, which is completely unlike her. But now that she has a date and a dress, she's back to radiating unicorns and bunnies and..." he waves his fork vaguely, "you know, fluffy stuff."

Katy laughs. "That definitely sounds like Riley. So when exactly is this school dance that we haven't heard about yet from our own daughter?"

"Friday, I believe."

"Oooh, just a couple of days from now. So, what are you wearing?" Katy waggles her eyebrows at her daughter.

"I'm not going," Maya informs her mother, as nonchalantly as possible.

Katy's smile falls. "Oh, why not, baby girl?"

"It's just a dumb dance," Maya says with a casual shrug. She takes a bite of her chicken and vegetables to prove that she's completely okay talking about it, even though her vivid imagination is pairing Lucas with girl after girl, trying to figure out who he's asked and why he didn't ask _her_. Or wait for her to ask him. "Besides, I want to work on one of my art pieces. I haven't had the time for that lately."

That's a load of nonsense if Katy's ever heard any. She opens her mouth to say so, but Shawn speaks first.

"Good," he says. "You focus on your art. There's no need to go to some lame school party where there will be boys and holding hands and all that crap, if you don't want to."

"Yeah." Maya smiles, but she knows it's very obviously fake. Luckily, Shawn isn't very observant.

But Katy is. After mentally facepalming at Shawn, she kicks him under the table.

"Oww!" He looks at her accusingly.

Katy widens her eyes and gestures with them to Maya, who's meticulously cutting up her food into equal bite-sized pieces as if it's an assignment on which she's going to get graded.

Shawn looks at Maya, and seems to finally realize she's more upset than she's letting on.

"So," he starts, with no clue at all about how he's going to approach this, and ends up saying the first thing that comes to his mind. "What about Friar?"

The mention of Lucas makes Maya sit up straight. She's not going to let that boy make her miserable anymore. If he doesn't want to go with her, fine. She's not going to care, and she's not going to obsess about it. She has better things to do.

Maya shrugs. "I don't know," she says in her most I-couldn't-care-less voice.

She misses the worried glance Katy and Shawn exchange.

"Well," Shawn says, trying to make her feel better, "How about we order from Paco's on Friday night and have ourselves a Star Wars movie marathon?"

The mention of Paco's reminds her of how Lucas got her a taco from there last week. For a second, she'd thought he was going to ask her to the dance right then, with the taco instead of flowers, which would have been hilarious and perfect, and just the sort of dorky thing he'd think to do. But he hadn't. He'd just said that he got her one because he knows she likes them. She was disappointed, but still touched, especially because Lucas hadn't exactly been in a good mood himself that day. He'd been preoccupied and mopey despite her attempts to cheer him up, and Maya hadn't for the life of her been able to fathom why. And yet, he'd gotten her her favourite tacos. _Stupid_ Huckleberry, always doing all these stupid nice things for her and making her care.

"Maya?"

Shawn's question brings her out of her thoughts — she'd wandered off again.

"Okay," she says quietly, trying not to let her misery show, and completely forgetting the excuse about working on her art project she has planned for the evening of the dance.


	5. Chapter 5

**danahscott and TTluv19, thank you so much for your lovely reviews on the previous chapter!**

 **And an equally big thank you to everyone who has favourited, followed, and reviewed the story so far!**

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After dinner, Maya escapes to her room. As soon as she disappears, Shawn heads out, after making vague excuses to Katy. He's thankful he doesn't have to do the same with his sharp-as-a-whip daughter as well, his wife looks suspicious enough.

He tells himself he isn't being an interfering parent, but if he's being honest with himself, he's worried Maya might see it as exactly that. He's still relatively new to this parenting thing, but he knows there are limits to the amount of meddling the father of a teenage child — a teenage daughter — should do. (Look at what Cory's near-constant interference has done to poor Riley.)

When he and Cory were growing up, Mr. Matthews had bailed them out of many a crisis, but he'd usually left them to fumble their way through the ones that were merely a result of their own stupidity. Shawn is aware that Maya's current predicament definitely doesn't fall in the crisis category. But just remembering her sad little face at dinner compels him to do _something_.

Because if his years of shenanigans with Cory have taught him anything, it's how to spot a fishy situation from miles away — and this feels exactly like one. From what he's seen of Friar's behaviour around Maya, there's no way that country boy likes his daughter only as a friend. And he's pretty sure Maya reciprocates his not-just-friendly feelings; he's seen the looks they give each other when they think no one's watching.

Shawn doesn't know why Friar risked upsetting Maya by not asking her to the dance (and no, of course he's not going to force the boy to go with her now!). But he intends to find out (and that's all he's going to do). Unintentional though it might have been, Maya suffered badly from her friends' actions in freshman year, and he's not going to let that happen again. He needs to get to the bottom of this precisely because the more he thinks about it, the fishier the situation appears.

On the way, he calls Zay Babineaux to Topanga's. The boy doesn't keep him waiting, arriving at the cafe only a couple of minutes after he does.

"What's up, Mr. Hunter?"

Shawn gets straight to the point. "Why is Maya not going to the school dance?

"Oh man," Zay sighs through his teeth. "I thought she'd pull something like that."

"Why?"

"Every time someone brings up the subject of the dance, she changes it two seconds later — and avoids looking at anyone, but especially Lucas."

Damn cowboy. "Who's Friar going with?"

"Actually, I don't know," Zay squints as if he's just realizing it. "Every time someone brings up the dance, he looks miserable and changes the subject too — except he's all anguished, longing gazes at Maya."

"I knew it! I _knew_ that boy liked her." Shawn's pleasure at being right about something regarding Maya is cancelled out by the fact that he now knows for sure that Friar's thoughts about Maya are not just friendly like he pretends.

" _Like_ her?" Zay laughs. "Lucas has been half in _love_ with her practically since he first met her. He was just too stupid to realize it."

"If he likes her so much, why didn't he ask her to the dance?"

"Ah." That brings up Zay short. "I don't know. I didn't think to ask him."

"You didn't ask your best friend who he's taking to the school dance?"

"Nah. I'm not really interested in going myself."

Shawn sighs in exasperation. "Why not? I thought school dances were a big deal? I know they were back when I was in high school."

"Well, you see, the girl I like is going with someone else," Zay explains. "And the girl I was going to ask instead is going with someone else too. So, not interested."

Shawn pinches the bridge of his nose. "Anyway," he says, holding on to his patience. "Call Friar here."

"Why me?"

"Because if I call him here, he'll be suspicious, and he might tell Maya."

"How do you know I won't tell Maya?"

"Will you?"

"Nah man, I wanna see the fun first!"

...

It takes Friar barely ten minutes to arrive. It's lucky they all live so close by. The Farkle kid arrives with him.

"What are you doing here, spawn of Minkus?"

"Zay said to come."

Shawn looks at Zay, who grins back unrepentantly. "I didn't want him to miss out on the fun either!" he whispers behind his hand.

Lucas eyes Shawn and Zay suspiciously. "What's going on?"

"You tell me, Friar," Shawn shoots back. "Why was Maya upset when I brought up the school dance?"

To his surprise, Friar's eyes turn hard. "She was? I swear, if he's said or done _**any**_ thing to make her upset—"

"Who?"

"Charlie Gardner. He asked Maya to the dance last week." Lucas says shortly.

This, as Shawn knows, is not true, because Maya isn't going to the dance. If someone had asked Maya to go with them, and she'd said yes, she would be going. She wouldn't abandon them. Maya isn't like that.

But before Shawn can interrogate him any further, the door to Topanga's slams open and another boy storms in. He looks as mad as Lucas.

"Well, speak of the devil!" Zay exclaims in the hearty 1950s accent Maya uses whenever Charlie is around.

The boy Shawn infers is Charlie Gardner strides up to them. "What the hell is your problem, Friar?" he growls, almost getting in his face.

Lucas doesn't generally use his size and strength to intimidate, but he isn't feeling particularly charitable towards Charlie right now. So he — with deliberate, contemptuous calmness — nudges Charlie back. "What's _your_ problem, Gardner?"

They confront each other, practically nose to nose, looking for all the world like two boxers squaring off, though Charlie is a good half a head shorter and significantly less muscular than Lucas.

Shawn, Zay and Farkle all roll their eyes.

"Do you have to go after every girl I like?"

Friar looks confused at the other boy's words, but still angry. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how every time I like a girl, you butt your big nose in!"

"Since when have you liked Maya before I did?" Lucas demands. "I've liked her since middle school! I liked her before you even knew her!"

He misses the wide grin that appears on Zay's face, or the way Farkle's jaw falls open in surprise.

Shawn raises an eyebrow. If Lucas really has liked Maya since middle school, and _still_ managed to cause the mess that was the triangle between himself, Maya and Riley, then he really is a bonehead.

"Maya? I'm not talking about Maya, I'm talking about Brenda!" Charlie yells (too dramatically, Shawn thinks). "I was going to ask Brenda to the dance! You just had to go and ask her first, didn't you?"

"You were the one who asked Maya to the dance first!"

"What are you talking about? I never asked her."

Shawn mentally groans. This is what he gets for trying to look out for his daughter: having to deal with a bunch of teenagers with questionable intelligence.

Lucas and Charlie have simmered down, both looking more bewildered than angry.

"Friday, last week," Lucas reminds Charlie. "When you were standing by Maya's locker before first period."

"I was asking her advice on how to ask Brenda out!" Charlie explodes. "And when I finally asked Brenda today, she said she's going with you!"

" _You_ asked Brenda?" Zay chimes in, pointing at Lucas.

"Yeah, after I overheard Charlie ask Maya—"

"I didn't ask Maya!" Charlie interrupts, nearly apoplectic now.

"—Brenda's in my physics class, and she said no one had asked her to go the dance either." Lucas finishes. "Why?"

"I asked Brenda a couple of days ago," Zay says, "And she told me she was going with someone else. I didn't think it was you."

"You don't mind, do you?" Lucas asks his best friend, a bit worried. "I know you liked her, but I thought you were over her, man. Besides, I thought you like Sma—"

Zay jumps up and covers Lucas's mouth before he blabs anything more, nearly taking him down to the floor. "Never mind him," he says to the others, clinging to Lucas's back, "He never makes sense anyway."

"Even if you liked Brenda before, why would you ask her out now instead of asking Smackle?" Charlie asks.

Since he's still trying to restrain his best friend, Zay can only mentally facepalm. If it's not one person, it's another. What is it with people blabbing out other people's feelings?

"Hehehehe!" He hopes his laughter isn't too forced. "Why would I ask Smackle? I have no reason to ask Smackle."

Charlie snorts. "Come on! You like her, you spend all of biology staring at her with that stupid smile on your face while she practically takes over the class."

"No, I don't," Zay says nervously.

Lucas takes advantage of his distraction to push aside his hand and shrug him off his back. "Looks like everyone knows you like her, man."

"No, I don't!" Zay insists. "Besides, she's going with Farkle."

"No she's not." Farkle pipes up. "I'm going with Missy."

Lucas, Zay, and Charlie all raise their eyebrows at him.

Looking back and forth between the four boys, feeling like he's watching a doubles tennis match, Shawn infers that this turn of events is completely outside the realm of belief to the two Texans and the boy he now remembers Maya referring to as a cheese soufflé (he has no idea why).

"Missy Bradford?" Lucas asks, disbelievingly.

"Yeah, she asked me last week. She thinks I'm cute." Farkle gives them the cheeky Minkus genius smile. "She says she thought I was cute back in middle school, and wants to go with me to the dance. Smackle doesn't mind. We broke up months ago, guys. She and I were only going to go together as friends if we didn't have someone else to go with. When Missy asked me, I said yes, and pushed Smackle to ask you, Zay. I'm pretty sure she likes you back."

" _Whaaat?_ "

Shawn closes his eyes and massages his temples. He can _feel_ the headache brewing in his skull. What is it with these teenagers and their convoluted dating lives? More than that, all this meddling in each other's lives. If Shawn was worried before that his investigating this situation would have seemed like interference, he's definitely not worried now. Not with these guys making such a mess of things themselves.

"I thought Smackle spoke to you about it." Now Farkle looks unsure.

"She didn't! All she did was ask me a couple of days ago in the cafeteria what my plans for the dance were."

"And what did you say?"

"I told her it was just a stupid school dance and that I wasn't going, and then I left! I haven't really seen much of her since."

There's a pause as the four boys just look at each other in confusion, clearly aware that something's wrong but unable to figure out exactly what that is.

Shawn raises his eyes to the heavens, praying for patience, reminding himself that teenage boys are dumb and that he was once one himself. "That might have been Smackle angling to ask you to go with her," he says, and the boys turn to him. "And your reaction may have given her the impression that you'd rather not go to the dance at all than go with her."

Zay makes a strangled noise as his mouth opens and shuts like a goldfish.

Lucas pats his shoulder in comfort, then freezes, eyes wide as he remembers something that's far more important to him. Realization has dawned. He turns to Charlie. "So you _didn't_ ask Maya out?"

Charlie nearly rips his hair out in exasperation (And Shawn sympathises with him). "For the last time, Friar, NO! I wanted to ask Brenda, and I was asking Maya for help!"

"Then why did you wait this long to ask Brenda?"

"Because I wanted to make it really special for her." A beatific, daydreamy smile appears on Charlie's face. "My cousin helped me set up a romantic dinner date tonight, and I gave Brenda flowers and balloons. I even made her a banner, with petals to make the words asking her to go to the dance with me." He sighs, then his smile disappears. "And she said no, Friar! You know why? Because you butted in and asked her first!"

The irony of the situation is not lost on Lucas, and he almost laughs — this whole mess seems to have started because he himself delayed asking Maya to the dance because he wanted to make it special for her. But he doesn't think Charlie would find it very funny. Besides, has more important things to deal with first. Such as—

"So, Maya's not going with _anyone_ to the dance?" He asks, a mix of horror and hope on his face.

 _Finally!_ , Shawn thinks, they've gotten to the point of this entire exercise. "Maya's not going to the dance _at all_ ," he announces.

Lucas looks appalled, and Farkle and Charlie join Shawn in glaring at him. Only Zay isn't paying him any attention, still grappling with the terrifying revelation that he now has to ask Smackle to go with him (because he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't).

Just then, a young brown-haired girl walks in, looking around curiously.

"Brenda!" Charlie exclaims. "What are you doing here?"

"Farkle messaged and asked if I could come..." she trails off undecidedly.

"What?" Farkle shrugs when everyone turns to stare at him. "She needed to be here. Someone has to clean up this mess you three dum-dums created." He points to Lucas, Zay, and Charlie, who scowl back at him indignantly.

"What's going on, Charlie?" Brenda asks, eyeing the boys and Shawn warily, no doubt wondering why she's been invited to this circus.

Charlie hesitates.

"Ask her!" Lucas, Zay, Farkle and Shawn simultaneously yell.

"Okay, okay! Brenda, will you go to the school dance with me?"

"I already told you, Charlie, I've agreed to go with Lucas."

"It's okay Brenda," Lucas interrupts. "You can go with him if you want. I don't mind."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

Brenda looks relieved. "Okay, Charlie, then I'll go with you."

Charlie grins hugely. Shawn thinks he looks a bit like a moron, but well, there are three other young morons in here, so Charlie's in good company. Everyone watches as the reunited couple walk out.

"Ah, young love," Zay pretends to wipe a tears from his eye.

Shawn clears his throat. "Don't you guys have somewhere to be?"

"I have to go." Lucas scrambles hurriedly out of the cafe.

"Yeah, me too." Zay follows on his heels.

Both of them leave, forgetting Shawn and Farkle, who grins conspiratorially at him.

"Off you go, Minkus's robotic offspring."

"I'm a real boy!" Farkle protests.

"Scram!"

"Scramming!"

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 **This was a really hard chapter to write, mainly because it's dialogue-heavy (and dialogue is where I struggle the most), and the mixed PoVs. What did you think of it? How did I do? Let me know!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi danahscott, Citylightslucaya, Lexiekarter and Guest, your comments are my lifeblood! I'm absolutely over the moon that you love the fic and that it makes you laugh, that's exactly what I'd hoped it would do :D**

 **Updates have been a bit slow because I've caught up with all my pre-written material, and I'm now writing the new chapters from scratch. Thank you all for sticking with the story, and for the follows, faves, and comments!**

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Shawn comes home to find — to his utter astonishment — Katy listening at Maya's door.

"We're allowed to do that?"

"No!" But Katy doesn't move from where her ear is pressed against the door panel. "Now shhh! Lucas just arrived at her window a couple of minutes ago, I think he's going to ask her to the dance."

Being a parent is so confusing, Shawn thinks as he puts his ear to the door too. But at least his evening with four dumb boys doesn't seem to be a complete waste. The cowboy actually works fast when prodded.

They both listen; they can hear Maya's voice...

...

When Maya finds the sheet of paper — it fell out of one of her several sketchpads, which is why she didn't see it before; she hasn't opened this particular sketchpad this week until now — she doesn't know whether to laugh or to scream in exasperation.

It's the funniest, most ridiculous thing she's ever seen. And she's surprised that after all these years of knowing Lucas, she had no idea that he was _this_ bad at drawing. It looks like something made by a five-year-old.

It's also downright frustrating. Lucas had asked her to the dance after all, and she had no idea.

Then again, she has no idea what to make of his behaviour this past week either. She's found him snooping around through her things several times, looking shifty, and disappearing whenever he spotted her. During the evenings, when the group does their homework together at Topanga's, he's asked to borrow several of her textbooks, claiming he has forgotten his own at home or in his school locker.

Since all of this is extremely unlike Lucas, it has obviously made her suspicious. But the couple of times she's tried to confront him about it, he has laughed it off, changed the subject, and actually tried to distract her once with a Danish. And earlier this evening, after her latest attempt, he'd run off home halfway on some flimsy excuse about his mamma needing his help.

Only now that she holds the evidence in her hand does she realise this is what he must have been looking for. Obviously, after asking someone else to go with him, Lucas hadn't wanted her to see his dance ask and was trying to get it back without letting her know about it.

Maya doesn't know what to think. Had he become tired of waiting for her to find the paper, and decided to go with someone else instead? Or maybe he'd only asked her as a backup? And when the girl he actually wanted to go with said yes, he'd tried to get the dance ask back before Maya saw it? But then, why would he put in so much effort into this ask? Or maybe this is no effort for him at all, just scribbles that he knows will make a girl laugh?

Or — and Maya can't believe she's even considering this, since she doesn't think Lucas might be _that_ dumb, though recent behaviour certainly indicates otherwise — had he accidentally put the dance ask in the wrong girl's locker?

All these questions make her want to hunt him down and just shake the answers out of him.

She's considering doing just that when a sudden noise from her window makes her jump. She looks up just as Lucas, with one leg stuck on the ledge of her window, trips and lands sprawled on her bedroom floor by the bed.

Maya can't help it. She lets out a loud, explosive snort of laughter. It becomes worse when he scowls at her, and she has to cover her mouth to try and stifle her guffaws.

He frowns as he gets to his feet, but his expression quickly softens, and for a second, he gives her that warm, indulgent look that he seems to reserve exclusively for her. Then he spots the sheet of paper in her hand, and nervousness fills his face.

Maya stops laughing too. "Is this what you were looking for all those times you were snooping around in my locker and my backpack, and even through my art supplies?" She holds up the sheet.

Lucas rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "I wanted to ask you to the dance, and I wanted it to be funny and special. But I thought you said yes to going with Charlie, so I tried to get it back."

"What on earth made your cowboy brain think I was going with _Charlie_?" she demands.

"I overheard him ask you!" he says defensively. "Or, well, that's what I thought I heard... And then I thought you said yes."

She hides her face in her hands and lets out a muted scream of pure aggravation. "Why would I want to go with Charlie? Besides, he likes Brenda!"

"I didn't know that, okay! I thought— you two— you've been spending a lot of time with him recently."

"We spent at best a few hours together last week to work on the English assignment!"

It clicks then, when Lucas grimaces and refuses to meet her eye.

"Don't tell me you were jealous!"

He scowls. "I'm not."

"Oh my god, you're jealous!"

He usually takes her teasing in stride, even teases back, but now he seems to be short on patience as well. "Will you go to the dance with me or not?" he half yells.

"Really Huckleberry? You're asking me now? After you've asked someone else? Do you learn nothing at all?"

"No, that's okay," Lucas assures her hastily. "Brenda and I sorted it out, she's going with Charlie."

"You asked _Brenda_?" Maya sputters on a laugh. "No wonder he was so pissed off!"

"I was going to ask you." He takes a step closer. "Last week. The day I got you the taco. I was going to give it to you instead of flowers. But Charlie was with you, being all Charlie Gardner, and staring into your eyes sappily, and going on about how he cared more about the girl than the ask, blah blah." He rolls his eyes. "And he never mentioned Brenda, or any other girl. What's a guy supposed to think? _And then_ , _you_ said _yes_!"

"I said 'yes, that works', not 'yes, I'll go with you'!" She gives him a stern look, but she can't help the way her lips twitch trying not to smile at the look of disgust on Lucas's face. "It may not have had flowers or balloons or a disco ball or all of the above, but it was still a classic Charlie Gardner dance ask. The kind Riley loves. And Brenda apparently," she adds.

"Oh no, Brenda's was worse. He made her a frickin' craft project, with petals to write out his ask on a banner."

"Yikes." Maya winces. "Way to go overboard, Charlie. But you!" She rounds on him. "You actually thought I'd go for that gooey sap-fest?"

"How was I to know?" he mutters darkly.

"Because you know me!" she retorts, irritated. "Just like I know you. I guessed correctly that you might ask me to the dance with a taco instead of flowers, Ranger Rick, because that's the just the kind of dumb, dorky thing you'd do. Of course, that was before you shot your own dance ask in the foot."

He ignores the mangled metaphor — one she chose, no doubt, because of its Wild West overtones — and the fact that she called him dumb, and grabs her hand. "I still want you to go with me."

She gives him a stony glance.

"I don't have a taco, but you're holding the rest of my ask."

Maya looks down at the sketchbook paper again. There's a stick figure cowboy on a horse, which is supposed to represent Lucas, holding what looks like a giant red inside out, blown away umbrella in the direction of a stick figure girl with big blonde hair, obviously meant to be Maya. There's a speech bubble at the top of the page, pointing to the cowboy, proclaiming "Wanna giddy-up with me to the jamboree?" in big letters.

She tries not to roll her eyes (poetry is obviously not his strong suit either, considering the lengths he's gone to make that rhyme), tries to smother the grin that's threatening to break free. And fails.

Lucas sees her face, and sighs and ducks his head. "Go on, I know you're dying to tell me what you think." But he's trying to hide his own smile.

"Well, stick-figure-Lucas's horse looks more like a dog, and stick-figure-Maya's hair is bigger than the rest of her body."

He grimaces. "Yeah, I can draw still life and stuff, but I'm no good at human or animal figures."

"Nooo kidding." But there's nothing more than teasing laughter in her tone. "It also took me a minute to understand that stick-figure-Maya is holding a paintbrush, not a broom."

He snorts at that, and sidles closer. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. Why are you giving me an inside out umbrella, Huckleberry?"

"That's not an umbrella, that's a flower!"

"It's bigger than you and me!"

"It does not look like an umbrella," he insists.

...

Outside Maya's room, Katy and Shawn — an ear each still pressed to their daughter's bedroom door — exchange glances as the teenage couple inside begins to bicker.

Shawn rubs a hand over his face. "He's supposed to be asking her to the dance."

"He just did."

"Isn't she going to say yes?"

"Probably."

"I never thought I'd say this, but I actually feel sorry for the cowboy."

"Shhhh!" Katy flaps her hand at him. "Listen!"

"... Why is it so quiet?"

...

Lucas isn't really sure what happened, but at that moment, he couldn't care less. One second he and Maya are arguing about his silly drawing, the next second, she's jerked him down by his shirt collar and pressed her lips to his.

His heart stops beating for a second as his mind scrambles to make sense of what's happening: _Maya is kissing him_.

Then he instinctively responds, one hand going around her to pull her close while he buries the other in her hair, and kisses her back. And it's like— it's like— it feels as if the billions of stars that were in the sky the night he almost kissed Maya by the campfire in Texas are now exploding under his skin.

Maya seems to melt against him with a sigh, which sends a surge of smug pride shooting through him. But it also makes his knees go wobbly, and he staggers backwards with her until his back hits the wall to better support both of them.

It takes him a full minute to get his bearings when they finally break the kiss, and he blinks to clear his head from the Maya+kiss-induced haze. He's devoutly thankful he hasn't pulled a Farkle and simply slid to the floor in a dead faint. Maya would have never let him live that down.

She's still standing in the circle of his arms, looking as dazed as he feels. Her cheeks are pink.

"Okay."

"What?" he says, rather stupidly, still reeling.

"I'll go with you."

"Where?" he asks, bewildered.

She raps her knuckles on his nose. "To the dance, Hopalong! Keep up!"

He thinks if he grins any wider, it'll split his face.

"By the way, Huckleberry, you owe me a taco!"

...

"But— but— but—" Shawn sputters as Katy drags him away from Maya's door, and into the kitchen. "Shouldn't we interrupt them and supervise, or something?"

"It's been a long time coming. Let her kiss the boy in peace." There's an all too knowing gleam in Katy's eye. "You big softie. You think I don't know where you went earlier tonight? I know what you did!"

"What? What are you talking about?" He tries to look innocent. And fails.

"Nice try, honey. She really, really likes him." Katy hugs Shawn tight, smiling up at him as his arms go around her. "And Lucas is stupidly in love with her, even if he doesn't know it yet. Teenage love, but love all the same. He's good for our Maya. And you know that too, which is why you made that happen!"

"I didn't mean to do that!" Shawn says, appalled. "He was just supposed to ask her to the dance! There isn't supposed to _be_ any kissing!"

"The way they've been eyeing each other, let's be thankful it's just kissing," Katy says fervently, then sighs. "We're going to have to have the talk with Maya soon."

Shawn is so utterly and completely horrified by that thought that the only thing he can manage is a very Cory-like "Aaarrgh!"


	7. Chapter 7

**New chapter finally up! Busy times and writer's block are a horrible combination! And sometimes the most unexpected parts give you the most trouble while writing.**

 **To all reviewers — TTluv19, Citylightslucaya, danahscott, Lexiekarter, and Guest (especially guest reviewers whose comments I can't respond to through PMs) — as always, your reviews are life! Thank you!  
**

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It's the evening of the school dance, and if Maya has any doubts about the way she looks (she doesn't really) — even after her parents' proud, teary-eyed compliments (especially after that) — they're dispelled by the way Lucas's mouth falls open a little when he arrives at the Hart-Clutterbucket-Hunter apartment and sees her.

She smirks a little at his reaction — she's hardly one to let go of any opportunity, no matter how small, to tease him — but it's a struggle not to blush when he stares as if he's dazzled by her.

Lucas's mother Lillian, who is staying for dinner with Katy and Shawn, follows her son in and elbows him none too subtly in the back.

Lucas blinks, as if coming out of a trance. "Hi," he breathes, dimly aware that he's gawking and a little embarrassed about it.

"Huckleberry," Maya intones faux-formally. She can't help but think he looks very handsome in his dark grey suit, pristine white shirt, and tie, though she inwardly groans at the accompanying cowboy accessories. "The hat and boots are just for me, aren't they?"

He tips his hat at her — his real hat this time, not an imaginary one — and flashes her a cheeky grin. "Yes ma'am."

And just like that they fall back into their familiar bantering — which they're both now aware was clearly them flirting with each other the whole time.

"Your tie has horseshoes and cactuses on it," she observes, leaning in to get a better look.

"I did ask you the dance as a cowboy," he reminds her. "Have I ever deprived you of a chance to make fun of my cowboy heritage?"

"No, for some reason, you actually enjoy it when I do that. You have a strange idea of fun, Huckleberry."

"Hey, what's a guy supposed to do when that's the only way the girl he likes pays any attention to him?" He reaches out and tugs one of her long wavy curls. "Besides, it's fun to see you get all annoyed and worked up when I go along with your jokes, or tease you back."

She snorts, and then narrows her eyes as a thought suddenly strikes her.

Back at their bizarrely named 'tick-tock shake your body time' seventh grade school dance, he'd turned up in a cowboy hat and given her a flower just to show her how much thought he put into their game, even if they hadn't gone to the dance together. And now that they actually are going to the dance as a couple...

"Please tell me you're not taking me to the dance on a horse!"

"It's waiting downstairs in the lobby," he says with a completely straight face.

As she's aware that it's not difficult at all to get hold of a horse in New York — after all, she'd acquired one back in seventh grade for Riley's princess campaign, and Lucas knew exactly where she got it from — she eyes him with genuine suspicion. She wouldn't put it past him to pull a stunt like that, just to one-up her.

But she catches the glint of amusement in his eye, and pokes a finger into his side, making him jump and squirm away as he breaks out laughing. She scrunches her nose at him and he returns the gesture, and for a moment they just stand there, grinning at each other like sappy fools.

The loud clearing of a throat — Shawn's throat — bursts their bubble, jolting them out of their moment and reminding them that there are others ( _parents!_ ) in the room. Katy and Lillian call Maya over to admire her dress and earrings and shoes and hair, and she shoots Shawn a warning look before turning to them.

Shawn hmpfhs. As if it's any use now threatening the cowboy who he — he's still not sure how — not only ended up helping ask his daughter to the school dance but also into becoming her boyfriend. It's a complete one-eighty from his protests just a couple of months ago at finding out that Lucas had been regularly sneaking into Maya's room ( _as a friend!_ , as both Maya and Katy liked to remind him). If Cory ever finds out, he's going to have an aneurysm.

"You're not really taking her to the dance on a horse, are you?" he asks Lucas in a low voice.

"No, sir. But if we were in Texas, I would have."

Lucas sounds so sincere and honest that Shawn doesn't know whether the boy is being serious or pulling his leg (given the amount of time Lucas spends with Maya, he's bound to have picked up some of her habits). He reluctantly concedes that, either way, he'd be impressed — by Lucas's pokerfaced comeback or by his ingenuity. (He doesn't know if taking your date to the school dance on a horse is a common thing in Texas, but it definitely isn't in New York.)

Katy calls him to start taking pictures, and he takes up his camera with an inward sigh. But he can't deny that Maya and Lucas make a _really_ good-looking couple. (Though he might be a tad biased; ninety percent of that good-looking comes from his daughter, after all.) Lucas's outfit beautifully complements Maya's sparkly dark blue dress, and the smiles on their faces could have lit up the entire block. Their posed pictures are pretty amazing, but it's the candid ones — with them pulling faces at each other or laughing together over some shared joke — that are stunning. He knows he'll be adding them to his wall of special photos, his most cherished memories.

The two mothers stand back and watch, calling out suggestions on how the teenage couple should pose or saying something to make them blush.

"They're so cute," Lillian sighs. "But it's also a little embarrassing how Lucas sometimes turns into a completely useless bale of hay around Maya."

It's such an unexpected comparison that Katy bursts into laughter, almost choking on it, causing Lillian to grin too. The others in the room turn and stare at the two women. They wave at Shawn to continue taking pictures, and resume their conversation once Katy stops wheezing.

"You know he's not the only one right?" Katy asks once she regains her composure, though she still has to make an effort not to snicker. "You can't have missed her sighing and staring dreamily at him when they hang out. Plus Maya has a sketchbook full of 'Maya-hearts-Lucas' and 'Lucas-hearts-Maya' artwork. I don't think anyone other than me — and now you — is even aware it exists. She's just as gone for him as he is for her, though I don't think she knows that yet. She just hides it a bit better."

"Well, that's a relief!" Lillian smiles, but her eyes are a little sad when she turns to look directly at Katy. "Lucas has been through a lot in the past year, especially with my divorce, and his father moving away. I don't want my boy to be hurt anymore."

"He's strong, and so are you." Katy squeezes Lillian's arm, an unspoken gesture of support and solidarity from a woman who has also survived a troubled first marriage. "And you both have us and the Babineauxes, and even the Matthews and the Minkuses. Or Minkii, as Maya insists it should be pronounced," she quips, making Lillian laugh. "You're never going to be alone, and Lucas's friends are going to be there for him no matter what. Maya's going to stand by him, no matter what."

"Thank you, Katy." Lillian turns back to watch her son and his girlfriend, a genuine smile on her face now. "Maya has certainly been by his side the whole time. I'm very fond of her, and Lucas, well, it's always been Maya for him, you know. I'm glad they stopped behaving like clueless sheep, and finally admitted how happy they make each other. It's taken long enough."

Katy regards the other woman with amusement. "You know, I'm pretty sure Maya gets half her country jokes to tease Lucas from listening to you! Are you aware of how many farm references you make in conversation?"

"Do I?" Lillian laughs. "Can't take the ranch out of a farm girl, I suppose."

"They're good for each other. Even if they are sometimes clueless sheep," Katy adds.

"Yeah. You know, if Shawn hadn't helped out, Lucas would still be miserable and moping about Maya going to the dance with someone else." Lillian rolls her eyes in fond exasperation.

Neither of the other three in the room have been paying attention to the two women's conversation so far. But they finish up their photo session just in time to hear Lillian's last statement. Shawn and Lucas freeze like deer caught in the headlights. They exchange a guilty glance, before looking at Maya with identical expressions of trepidation.

Maya, however, doesn't seem in the least bit surprised. "What, you thought I didn't know?" she demands. "The only way Lucas could even figure out that he was in a mess of his own making is if someone helped him. Someone who's not Farkle or Zay, because they're not the brightest either when it comes to girls. Boys are dumb," Maya adds sagely to her mom and Lillian.

"Don't look at me." Lucas groans, hiding his face with his hat, so that only his ears — red from a mixture of embarrassment and indignation — are visible. The dance ask debacle was mostly his doing, so it's not like there's anything he can say to refute Maya's claim.

"But you still like him?" Shawn asks quizzically.

"Well, he does have some redeeming qualities."

Lucas lowers the hat enough to uncover his eyes, and finds Maya studying him with her head tilted, a smirk on her lips as she pretends to consider.

"He's cute _and_ entertaining. He's got that whole Lucas-the-Good/Moral Compass thing going. Plus he's really strong and can carry a lot of stuff. _And_ he's buying me tacos on our first date." She scrunches her nose again. "I think he's pretty useful."

"Maya." Lucas pretends to wipe a tear. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Yeah, don't get used to it, Ranger Rick." She retorts, elbowing him. "Anyway," she continues, "Charlie is more likely to help you over a cliff, and Matthews would rather give you detention. Forever. Which leaves... _you_." She points to Shawn with a flourish.

"So you're okay that I..."

"Interfered?"

"Well, I was going to say _stepped in_." Shawn tries not to look guilty; after all, Maya just admitted that the cowboy would have been useless without his help.

"Well, at least you weren't all Matthews about it. He used to chase Lucas out of Riley's bay window, and take away his boots."

Shawn scoffs. "Please, kid. I may be newer than him at this whole being a dad thing, but if I have to emulate a Matthews father, it'll be Alan, not Cory."

"You're terrified of what your boyfriend is gonna say when he finds out you helped Lucas ask me out, aren't you?" Maya smirks.

"Yes, so don't even breathe a word about this to him, okay? Ever!"

"How did you find out anyway?" Lucas asks.

"Yes, how _did_ you find out?" Shawn shoots Katy an accusing glance, but Katy shakes her head rapidly. _I didn't tell her_ , she mouths.

Maya presses her lips together, trying not to laugh. "Zay asked Smackle to the dance by telling her a funny Lucas story."

"Great," Lucas mutters. "Now I'm gonna have to murder both my best friends."

"Both?"

"Oh, if Farkle thinks I've forgotten his role in this, he has another think coming!"

Maya has several questions, but before she can ask even one, Katy reminds them that they need to get going if they don't want to be late.

"Come by for dinner sometime next week, Maya," Lillian says as the two teenagers get ready to leave. "I'll make chilli. Besides," she adds in a stage whisper, "I have funnier Lucas stories than Zay does."

"Oh boy." Lucas groans.

"I have some funny Zay stories too, as plenty of them involve Lucas. Like the time when Lucas turned three—"

"Okay!" He interrupts his mother hurriedly, well aware of which particular incident she's referring to. "That's our cue to leave! Let's go, Maya."

"But I wanna know—"

"Our tacos are waiting!" He grabs Maya's hand and tows her to the front door, slowing only to pick up their coats on the way out. The parents follow, the two mothers telling them to have a good time, while Shawn yells to remind Lucas to have Maya back home by curfew.

The adults settle down for an enjoyable evening of their own. They unanimously agree that after two hectic days of dealing with their children's school-dance-drama, they deserve a relaxing evening free of said offspring. Though, somehow, the evening's conversation and entertainment end up revolving around anecdotes of Maya and Lucas's antics — separately and together — over the years.

They're having such a good time that Shawn almost forgets that his daughter is out for the evening with the window-climbing cowboy. Until, that is, he gets an all caps SOS text message with several exclamation marks from Cory, asking him to get to Abigail Adams High as soon as he can.

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